New Affordable Homes in Newton Mearns Taking Shape

Construction of 17 new council homes in Newton Mearns is progressing, with East Renfrewshire Council anticipating tenants to be handed the keys this autumn.

The new homes, built by CCG (Scotland) and designed by MAST Architects, comprise four one-bed cottage flats, 12 two-bed flats, and one two-bed bungalow.

Three of the homes will be wheelchair adaptable.

The development, located on Barrhead Road, represents an investment of more than £4.3 million, with £1.9 million funding from the Scottish Government, as well as developer contributions and East Renfrewshire Council’s own capital investment.

The homes are being built using CCG’s pioneering approach to ‘offsite Modern Methods of Construction’, incorporating their enhanced closed-panel ‘iQ’ Timber System and windows and doors, while deploying in-house divisional support for the installation of utilities, renewables and plumbing.

Thanks to advanced airtightness, the homes will offer thermal performance to keep tenants warm and comfortable while reducing energy demand.

Space heating and hot water services are also delivered by renewable means, with zero-emissions heating provided by air source and exhaust air source heat pumps for each house and flat, respectively.

In addition, solar panels will be installed to generate renewable electricity. All homes will be built with level access, ensuring they meet the needs of a wide range of tenants.

East Renfrewshire Council housing and environment convener, Councillor Danny Devlin, said: “It was great to visit the site and see the progress that has been made. Having declared the local housing emergency last year, we know that more people than ever need a permanent place to call home, so it’s extremely important that we do all we can to create more social housing in the area and tackle the issues we’re facing.”

A spokesperson for CCG (Scotland) added: “Our method of construction is among the most advanced seen anywhere in the UK. Using an approach known as offsite, we fabricate entire wall zones – complete with windows and doors, insulation and internal linings – at our semi-automated facility in Cambuslang before erecting them into position onsite. This enables higher quality standards and faster delivery, as demonstrated by the strong progress at Barrhead Road. Our wider in-house divisions will now be deployed to build out the development, which we look forward to completing later this year.”

A range of community benefit initiatives have been delivered since CCG commenced construction. Two new jobs have been created, alongside a plumbing trade apprenticeship for Harry Houston (pictured), who joined CCG last year. A further two work placements have been provided, while CCG continues to host a variety of career-focused events with schools from across the region.

Pictured: Councillor Danny Devlin; CCG Site Manager John O’Donnell; East Renfrewshire Council CEO, Owen O’Donnell